


Embers

by IncendiaGlacies



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Gen, His Dark Materials Inspired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:34:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23247100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncendiaGlacies/pseuds/IncendiaGlacies
Summary: Only humans have daemons. Humans have souls, AI’s do not. This is a fact that Gideon has always known and has put up with her Captain’s annoying other half. That is, until she gets her own daemon.
Relationships: Gideon & Jonas Hunter, Gideon & Rip Hunter, Miranda Coburn/Rip Hunter
Comments: 10
Kudos: 11





	Embers

**Author's Note:**

> Please keep in mind I have never actually finished reading this trilogy, but I have read many fanfics inspired by the books and wanted to give it a shot.

“Would it kill you to keep your bloody pet under control?”

Rip tried not to think about how rude his AI was being yet again. Sometimes, he wished he had turned her in at the first sign of insubordination but Gideon was his partner for better or for worse. Sure, she was demanding and had high expectations and had tried to kill him at least five times, but Rip thought she was warming to him. Still, he would have liked to have been called by his title at least once.

“She’s not a pet. She’s a part of my soul.”

“The mutt is messing with my fabricator.”

Rip sighed. Leto had been the one to always help him steal food as a child, flitting about as a raccoon, a bird, whatever he needed to get his food before she finally settled into her form as a wolf. “I’m sure she’s just hungry. Have you asked her?”

“Why should I if she’s simply an extension of you as you say?”

“Because it would be the respectful thing to do.” Rip got up and headed to the galley where he found the white wolf pawing at the fabricator.

“Rip, she’s being rude again,” Leto spoke. “She won’t give me any treats.”

Rip smiled and ran his fingers through her thick fur. “What do you want? I’ll get you something.”

“I would like for her to talk to me properly!” Leto huffed and curled up on herself. Rip nodded, knowing the feeling. Gideon had been nothing short of difficult since they’d met her.

“And I’d like a Captain that had a more sizable daemon,” Gideon retorted.

“She is sizable!”

“She is far too large. My last Captain had a tortoise.”

“Was he slow?”

Gideon stayed quiet for a long moment. “Extremely.”

Rip laughed as he turned on the fabricator and made something for Leto. He sat down on the floor beside her and grabbed his own sugary cereal from the hiding place.

“I’m just saying, it would be nice if she didn’t constantly knock about my ship,” Gideon insisted.

“I don’t knock about!” Leto said, affronted by the very words.

Rip petted her, trying to make her calm down a little. “Gideon doesn’t mean it like that.”

“She does! She has no respect for us!”

“Respect and loyalty should be earned. Not simply given because of the daemon you have,” Gideon responded.

Rip hummed, acquiescing to her point. Druce had given him the great _Waverider_ because of his daemon. Wolves were leaders, brave, strong. The Council had been sure that was what would make him a great Time Master one day. It was what Miranda had thought too when she left as well so he could follow his dreams.

“You just don’t understand the bond between a human and daemon because you don’t have one,” Leto said.

Gideon stayed silent.

“Leto, that was uncalled for,” Rip said strictly. “She didn’t mean it, Gideon.”

“She’s not wrong,” Gideon said softly. “I don’t understand. I have no heart, no soul, no humanity.”

“Gideon, you’re being dramatic now-”

“I’m not!”

“You are. You are very, very human in your own way.”

“I have no daemon and I never will. If the measure of a man is his daemon, I am not one.” Gideon paused for a long moment. “Nor do I wish to be.”

Rip had learned her vocalizations well. He knew the lies from the truths, the pain from the love. He knew exactly how much she wished to be like them.

* * *

“I don’t know how you expect to keep a secret relationship with that bloody bird flying everywhere! Aren’t those things supposed to be on a leash?”

Miranda laughed and held out her hand. “I’m sorry, Gideon. Santiago, come here now. You’re bothering Gideon.”

The purple hummingbird zoomed to her hand and pecked at her affectionately. “This place is boring. When can we go and explore?” he asked.

“My ship is not boring!” Gideon argued with him.

“It’s too small!”

“Stop bickering, the both of you,” Rip said, exiting his parlour and coming up behind his wife, giving her a kiss.

Santiago flitted to Leto, settling on top of her fur. She huffed with a bit of annoyance but allowed him to stay.

“He started it with his flitting around,” Gideon insisted.

“I think you’re biased against daemons,” Leto said mildly.

“Only the annoying ones.”

“He is annoying,” Leto agreed. Santiago pecked at her fur, making her growl.

Rip sighed loudly at their actions while Miranda laughed in amusement. He smiled and kissed her again.

“Might I ask if you two must revel in your love that you go to the bedroom so I can turn my cameras off appropriately?” Gideon asked sweetly.

Rip turned a bright red as Leto laughed at him. “It’s just kissing, Gideon!”

“Of course, it is, Captain.”

Rip muttered something incoherent under his breath that made Miranda slap his arm.

“You should be nicer to her,” Miranda said.

“I am nice!”

“Not nice enough,” Gideon sang. Rip grumbled under his breath again.

“Rip, tell her why we’re here.”

“You mean this isn’t another one of your regular romantic trysts?” Gideon asked.

“No, not this time.” Rip held Miranda’s hand. “Miranda…we’re having a baby.”

There was silence for a long time. “You’ve procreated?”

“We’re having a baby!” Rip reiterated.

“You’re fulfilling the existence of humans.”

“Gideon!”

“Congratulations, Captain. I’m sure the baby will take on after your wife rather than you.”

Rip grinded his teeth. “Thank you, Gideon.”

Miranda patted his hand. “We’ll need your help, Gideon.”

“Obviously.”

“The Time Masters can’t find out,” Rip said hurriedly.

“No, they would never allow a child to be born.” It was the ultimate betrayal. Either they would eliminate the offspring, or worse, turn the child into one of them. “You know you can depend on me, Captain.”

“I know, Gideon.” He touched the console gratefully.

“I will of course expect repayment.”

Rip blinked. “What?”

“I think Gideon Junior makes a splendid name, don’t you?”

* * *

Gideon would never forget the day she met Jonas Gideon Hunter. He was small and pink and made a rather ugly face when he cried (of which he did a lot) and Gideon thought she loved him already. She had never felt anything like this before. When Captain Hunter had been injured, it had sparked something in her wires, an urge to remedy him in the medbay, take care of him.

If that was a spark, then this was a fire.

It burned through her systems, the need to protect this sweet child, to soothe him when he cried, to hold him as he slept. It grew steady inside of her, a soft roar to scare off any danger that may become the child. And then, it became so big, this feeling, this unnamed emotion she had never felt before, it exploded. It manifested, into something she had never expected.

Gideon’s daemon, unlike baby Jonas’ daemon, came full-fledged. It did not flit about in smoke and dust, changing shapes and animals in the spurt of a second like Jasper did, unable to settle in any form. While Jasper changed and transformed like a fairy flying about, Gideon’s daemon emerged at once, steadily and sure.

She had kind green eyes, blue scales so dark they almost looked like midnight itself. She appeared by Jonas, curling herself around the crib, wings protecting him from any danger that would appear, smoke curling from her nostrils. The dragon settled in easily, making her claim on the boy known.

“Gideon, what happened?” Leto hissed while Santiago whizzed about, trying to get Rip and Miranda’s attention.

“I-I don’t know. I didn’t mean to!” Gideon’s alarms began blaring in distress, she didn’t know what she had done. She didn’t know how to get rid of it!

Miranda and Rip ran into the baby’s room, both sleep deprived and barely awake. Rip stopped short of the crib when he saw the dragon eying him carefully, as if appraising him for any danger. He stepped closer despite Miranda’s warnings and held his hand out.

“Hello,” he murmured, touching her scales. The dragon murmured and nuzzled into his touch.

“Captain, I don’t understand. I didn’t mean to. I don’t even know what I did. She just appeared out of nowhere. I was thinking of Jonas and there was smoke and then she-”

“It’s okay, Gideon. I don’t think she will hurt Jonas. Not ever.”

“How do you know?” Gideon demanded. The boy’s life was of utmost importance now.

“Because she’s you, in a sense. I think this is your daemon.”

“Artificial Intelligences do not have daemons,” Gideon said monotonously.

“Well, you’ve always been full of surprises.”

Leto and Santiago approached the dragon carefully. Leto nudged at the large creature and Santiago settled on her back. The dragon looked at them with bemusement but didn’t push them away. Miranda stepped forward and touched her as well.

“She’s beautiful, Gideon. What will you name her?”

“Embers,” Gideon said surely, knowing somewhere deep within her code that it was right. “Her name is Embers.”

* * *

It was clear that Embers was slightly different from other daemons. For one, she didn’t talk. According to Gideon, she couldn’t talk. Rip made sure to keep the dragon safe from any lurking Time Masters and did his best to take the Waverider home with him when he could. It gave her more time to spend with Jonas.

Embers was very protective of the young boy, curling up around him, snarling at anything that moved too fast. As Jonas grew, he played with Leto, chased Santiago, and always napped curled up in Embers’ wings. Jasper had taken to mimicking the different daemon’s forms, but could never quite master Embers.

Rip wasn’t surprised. An AI to have a daemon was strange enough, something Gideon didn’t even share with her brothers and sisters, but a mythical form, it was rare. Dragons were of magic and myth, John Constantine had told Rip it would be possible but highly unlikely. Even the warlock didn’t have a magical daemon (though the magical beings preferred to see them as their familiars). Of course, in the twenty-first century, daemons still weren’t widespread. For the longest time in history, those that had daemons were spurned as witches and burned at the stake.

Embers was unique, but had made herself essential to Rip. Unlike other daemons, she wasn’t tethered to Gideon. She could go on missions with Rip, protecting him as she did Jonas. Gideon said it was her way of keeping Rip out of the medbay. Much safer that way and made them true partners for once.

For a while, things were good, easy. They were still hiding from the Time Masters with Druce’s help. Miranda’s videos to him got more worrisome. And then, Savage happened.

Rip remembered holding his son in his arms, screaming in agony. He remembered finding the ashes of where Jasper had been, of where Santiago had been. There was no more flying about for the hummingbird. Leto howled in pain at the loss of their family while Embers scorched the earth, roaring with anger, breathing fire and laying destruction to everything around them.

Despite her daemon’s anger and pain, Gideon’s voice was steady and calm in Rip’s ear. “Captain Hunter, you need to come back to the ship.”

“I – I can’t leave him.”

“I know. I know, Captain. But I can’t lose you too. It isn’t safe. Come back and we can talk about it. We – we can fix it.”

Rip never remembered how he made it back to the ship. He had vague memories of Leto and Embers carrying him but the rest was all hazy.

“It’s not fair, it’s not – how?” Rip slurred as the glass of alcohol fell from his hand and Leto whined, curling up against him.

“His daemon didn’t even settle,” Gideon said mournfully as Rip finally gave into the pain and exhaustion.

“He was young,” Leto cried with her. “So young.”

The two daemons curled up around their Captain as they mourned the loss of their family.

* * *

When Rip recruited the Legends, they were immediately fascinated by the concept of daemons. None of them had one.They weren’t commonplace in their time yet, humans hadn’t yet evolved properly to have one. They’d heard rumours but had never quite met someone with a daemon. Leto didn’t like the petting and Embers snarled at them whenever any of them got close.

It took time for them to accept that Leto was a part of Rip, and even longer to accept that their AI also had a daemon, had a soul. Their plan to take down the immortal Savage was simple, yet took a long time to execute, especially when they learned the Time Masters were involved.

While Leto and Rip were locked away, Gideon sabotaged the other timeships and Embers burned the Vanishing Point to the ground as the Legends made their escape.

“Gideon, pull up the newspaper headlines. You know what we’re looking for.” Rip was on the floor, Leto curled up against him, holding him together.

“I’m sorry, Captain. Miranda and Jonas are still dead.”

As Rip broke down crying again, Embers laid her head in his lap, wrapping her wings around them both as she tried to comfort them.

* * *

It didn’t get any easier after Savage was gone. They didn’t get Miranda and Jonas back and Leto grew quiet until she and Rip disappeared entirely. The Legends had no idea what to do with the grieving dragon and left her alone for most of the missions, causing Gideon to grow quiet as well.

When they did find Rip, he had no idea who he was. Leto had changed, she was meek, smaller, no longer a wolf but a small dog. And when he was brainwashed again by the Legion of Doom, he was colder, harsher, evil. Leto was up on her haunches, growling at them, growling at Embers.

“You don’t have to go,” Gideon pleaded.

Rip continued packing while Leto whined, not wanting to leave her home either. Rip petted her gently. “Gideon, what they did to me, I don’t even know who I am anymore.” His daemon had changed with him, his mind had been warped. He didn’t deserve the Waverider or Gideon.

“Is this because of our kiss?”

Leto perked up but Rip ignored her. He had no secrets from his daemon. “No. This is me having to find out who I am again. I was thinking we might need some help with saving the timeline, maybe I’ll make something to replace the Time Masters.”

“I could help!”

“Someone needs to keep the Legends in line.”

“So, this is goodbye? After everything we’ve been through?”

“Of course, it isn’t.” Rip touched the wall, wanting to comfort her. “It’s like you said, Gideon. You can’t leave me. And I can’t leave you.”

“Seems like you are.”

“Perhaps Embers can check up on me?” He reached out for the dragon but she shoved him off, snorting smoke at him. Rip nodded and got on his knees. “I’m sorry, I know you’re angry with me.”

Embers made a pitiful sound and turned away from him.

“I’ll miss you both, so much.”

“You’re leaving me. After you promised you wouldn’t.”

“This isn’t goodbye,” Rip said clearly. “I just need some time, that’s all.”

“I’ll miss you.” Rip paused at the doorway and glanced back at Embers who looked at him longingly. “I’ll miss you too, Gideon. Come on, Leto, let’s go.”

* * *

For Gideon, it was five minutes, for Rip, it was five years. He didn’t stay and the Legends waged war against his new team. Gideon stayed out of it, Embers had made Rip’s room her own and didn’t leave unless Jax or Ray fed her. They found Zari, a hacker from the future, living in a time where daemons were illegal and in hiding with her snake.

Even if the Legends never understood Embers or Zari’s Jade or any other daemons in general, they came in vital to the missions they were in. It was Embers that saved Rip from his reckless plan that almost got him killed.

As Rip stood outside with the time drive and the Waverider readied to go, Embers flew out and scooped Rip and Leto up in one fell-swoop, dropping the unstable time drive in the field. She roared fire at the time demon as they flew away. They managed to get back to the ship just in time before the Legends left.

“Wh-what happened?” Rip glanced at the ship, everything had happened so fast.

“I saved you from your own idiotic tendencies again,” Gideon said snappily. Embers growled in annoyance at him.

“You could have hurt Embers! You could have died!” he yelled at her.

“Artificial Intelligence cannot be killed.”

“You’re not a normal AI, Gideon! You have a daemon, that is proof that you have a soul and you were willing to give that up just because-”

“You were on a bloody suicide mission!” Gideon yelled back at him. “I have already lost everyone else! You would make me lose you too?”

Rip flinched back, guilty at his own actions. “I never meant to hurt you in that way.”

“Well, you did. A lot. You bloody idiot.”

It almost felt like the old days again, when she would refuse to call him Captain, only referring to him as an idiot. Leto came up to him, paws on her chest.

“I’m happy we’re still alive, Rip,” she said quietly.

“Oh, Leto.” He hugged her tightly, remembering the last suicide mission he’d had flinging himself into the sun, only stopping for Gideon and his wolf. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“You should be,” Gideon said clearly. “Idiot.”

Rip knew it was her way of saying she was relieved he was alive. He hugged Embers in thanks, kissing her scales.

“I’ll always have you to depend on, Gideon. Thank you.”

* * *

And when the day finally came for Gideon to turn human by means of magical mishap. It was Embers she was born to. Her dragon curled up around her, wings covering her protectively as Gideon oriented herself to the world. Everything was loud, confusing, her processing speed was slower.

“Embers?” she whispered. She hugged her dragon tightly, the large creature dwarfed her already small stature. “What happened?”

Gideon felt something soft and saw something white in the corner of her eye. ‘Leto!” The wolf nudged her way into the dragon’s embrace and covered Gideon protectively as well. “Where’s?” If Leto was here, Rip couldn’t be far behind. As she glanced around, she saw him and his eyes locked on hers in relief.

“Gideon!” Rip ran up to them and hugged her tight. “You’re okay, you’re okay!”

“I don’t – I’m human?”

Rip nodded. “I thought I’d lost you. You weren’t responding on the ship and then Embers flew away and – oh, thank heavens, you’re okay.”

“How?”

“Magic.”

Gideon’s heart jumped to her throat and her eyes started stinging, vision blurring. “I – I’m human. I have a soul.”

Rip glanced up at Embers. “I think a part of you has been human for a long time. It was only a matter of time until the rest of you caught up.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading


End file.
